“Hyah!”

With a thunderous cry, Nathan and his knights charged forward, cutting through the bandits that rushed at them.

“W-what the—!”
“Gah!”

The outlaws fell to the ground under the knights’ sharp blades, and the skirmish ended as quickly as it had begun.

“Check if there are any injured civilians.”
“Yes, Captain.”

At Nathan’s command, the knights hurried to look after the bystanders. Among those thanking them in relief, one small child caught his eye.

Nathan dismounted lightly and approached the boy clinging to his mother’s leg.

“Are you all right?”
“Hic… h-hic!”

He looked no more than five years old. The little boy only tightened his grip on his mother’s skirt, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

“You were scared, weren’t you? It’s all right now. No one’s going to hurt you anymore.”

“Hic… waah!”

The boy burst into tears and clung to Nathan as if seeking shelter in his arms. Nathan gently patted the child’s back, murmuring that everything was fine, that he’d been so very brave.

“Thank you so much. I thought we were going to die… You knights saved us.”

The boy’s mother bowed deeply again and again, her voice trembling with gratitude. Nathan smiled warmly at her, brushing the boy’s hair with his hand—then froze when he realized his wrist felt strangely bare.

“You’ll be safe now,” he said calmly. “I’ll have one of my men escort you to the main road, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Yes, sir.”

After returning the boy to his mother, Nathan began searching the area with quick, restless steps. His chest tightened with unease.

Where is it?

The bracelet he always wore on his right wrist—something he could never afford to lose—was gone.

A flicker of alarm crossed Nathan’s eyes.

“Captain, what are you looking for?”

Nathan ignored his subordinate’s question, eyes fixed on the ground as he continued his search for the missing bracelet. Then—

“Ah.”

He spotted it lying near a large rock. Relief swept through him. Striding over, he knelt and carefully picked it up.

The moment his fingers brushed the metal, the pendant on the bracelet opened slightly, revealing a delicate daisy within.

“…Phew.”

The bracelet was precious to him—because it had been made for his first love, the one that had ended before he ever found the courage to confess.

“I like daisies the most!”

The clear, girlish voice of a young princess echoed in his mind, brushing softly against his heart.

“Isn’t that the bracelet you always wear, Captain?”

His subordinate had approached, eyeing the simple piece curiously.

“But… why do you treasure a pendant with no decoration at all?”

Nathan gave a faint smile as he fastened it back onto his wrist.

“You wouldn’t be able to see the mark engraved on this pendant.”
“Sir? Why not?”
“…There’s a reason.”

Nathan exhaled a heavy breath as his gaze lingered on the bracelet shimmering faintly with a trace of magic.

***

Meanwhile, Carlo sat comfortably inside the carriage bound for the Duke of Crussian’s estate, his expression calm as he pondered the situation.

Is the young lady throwing another fit about wanting to die or something?

What weighed on the duke’s mind these days was none other than Roselina.

After being rejected by Theodor and falling out with Carlo, she had become a laughingstock in social circles. To prevent his only daughter from being further humiliated, the duke was clearly trying to clean up the mess—and his solution, of course, was Carlo.

“This might be a good chance to learn a bit more about that man, Crook Zegner.”

Carlo had already erased the image of Laila’s disappointed face from his mind. With that, he stepped into the mansion where the Duke awaited him.

“My lord, I didn’t expect you to be waiting for me outside like this.”

The Duke of Crussian was pacing before the main hall, anxiety flickering in his eyes.

“Lord Carlo! You’ve come.”
“What’s going on, my lord?”
“Roselina has been asking for you.”
“Ah…”

Carlo’s hesitant response only made the duke step closer in agitation.

“She hasn’t eaten a thing—locks herself in her room as if she means to die. She’s cried herself sick, begging me to summon you, and has fainted more than once already.”

“She’s… fainted?”

Carlo let out a soft sigh, his expression turning appropriately sorrowful. The duke’s eyes brightened with relief at the show of concern.

“Yes, exactly. So please, I’m asking you to see her. Just for a moment.”
“…All right.”

The duke’s face lit up with hope. He’d been terrified his daughter might waste away before ever marrying—but perhaps now there was a chance.

As Carlo walked down the corridor toward Roselina’s room, the duke watched his back, lost in thought.

Roselina can’t inherit the title anyway, so I need a proper son-in-law to take over the duchy.

If his daughter were to marry, her husband would inherit the ducal seat. He’d been considering a second son from a marquess’s family without a title of his own—but perhaps Carlo would be the better choice after all.

He may be from another empire, but he’s still a noble—and if he truly loves Roselina, that’s qualification enough, isn’t it?

Though Roselina was the one clinging to him now, the duke decided to regard Carlo in earnest. The young man was clever, perceptive. Perhaps he could even be trusted with the family’s secret affairs.

***

Knock, knock.

“My lady.”

Clack!

Roselina flung open the door the instant his voice reached her.

“L-Lord Carlo!”

She threw herself into his arms, bursting into tears. Her sobs were so loud that even the servants downstairs pricked up their ears.

“Compose yourself,” Carlo said coolly, still standing just outside the open doorway as she clung to him. His tone was detached—clearly, his anger had not yet faded.

Sensing the chill in his voice, Roselina only tightened her grip, shaking her head desperately.

“I missed you… I missed you so much, my lord… hic…”

“…”

Carlo remained silent, and the lack of response made Roselina all the more frantic. Clutching him as if she would never let go, she spoke through trembling lips.

“When I saw you leaving the banquet that night… I realized something.”
“What did you realize?”

Carlo looked down at the woman clinging to him, his face unreadable. Even as she wept, he didn’t so much as raise a hand to comfort her. She was the only one reaching out.

“It isn’t His Highness Prince Theodor that I love—it’s you, my lord. I love you.”

“Love?” Carlo murmured under his breath, before suddenly pushing her away, his expression hardening.

“Don’t test me anymore.”
“My lord! What do you mean, test you?”
“You speak of love only to deceive me again—then you’ll run back to His Highness, won’t you?”
“No! Never!”

Tears streamed down Roselina’s face, but Carlo wouldn’t even look at her.

“When I said I loved you, and when I said I would forget you—both were true. So please, stop lying to me.”

As Carlo turned away with an icy air, Roselina—feeling this might be her last chance—cried out desperately.

“I said I love you!!”

Her voice rang out like a scream, freezing Carlo mid-stride. The corridor fell silent except for Roselina’s ragged, despair-filled breaths.

“I truly love you—don’t you see that?”

She seized his arm and forced him to face her, clinging to him with desperate insistence. The more she pleaded, the deeper the hidden smile that flickered within Carlo—though she never noticed it.

“How am I supposed to believe that?” he asked coldly. “The day you kissed me and said you cared for me, I saw you confessing to another man. Tell me—how could I believe you after that?”

“I was out of my mind back then,” she cried. “Even while loving you, I kept mistaking my feelings for a lingering habit—for a love that no longer existed.”

“…”

“What do I have to do for you to believe me?”

For an instant, Carlo’s eyes gleamed. Those were the words he’d been waiting for—the surrender he’d wanted to hear.

“If I say I’ll believe you again… would you do anything?”
“Yes. Anything—if it means I can win your heart back.”

Determined to prove her sincerity, Roselina pulled him into the room and pushed him down onto the bed. Then, without hesitation, she began to strip off her dress.

“My lady!”

Carlo exclaimed, genuinely startled, reaching out to stop her—but she wouldn’t listen. If proving her love meant giving him everything, then so be it.

“Stop—mmph!”

Carlo tried to rise from the bed, but Roselina silenced him with a desperate kiss. She climbed onto him, clinging tightly, her lips frantic against his. Even as she kissed him again and again, she guided his hand to her chest, pleading wordlessly for him to love her once more.

Seeing her fall apart before his eyes, Carlo finally seized her shoulders and used his strength to flip their positions, holding her down.

“Haa… Enough. This isn’t the way.”
“Hic… Do you really hate me now?”

“…”

Pinned beneath him, her wrists caught above her head, Roselina trembled violently, sobbing as if her heart were breaking.

Watching her cry in such despair made Carlo feel like filth.
And in truth, he was filth—a man who had used her feelings for his own ends. But seeing her in this state brought him no satisfaction.

No matter how much she had tormented Laila, Roselina herself had only ever been a pawn.

I have to end this.

Carlo exhaled slowly, his expression hardening. He would do as Laila had wanted—cut ties with the young lady once and for all. If he kept deceiving her any longer, something far worse was bound to happen.